From making new friends in the residence hall after being locked out of his room wearing only a towel to playing on a “wonderfully terrible” intramural volleyball team to eating copious amounts of breadsticks in the Smaug, Sam Schurman has made the most of his time at Winona State University.

When Schurman first enrolled at Winona State, his dreams of being a teacher were not yet realized. He initially pursued a degree in criminal justice but later changed his major to communication arts and literature with an emphasis in teaching.

In a pleasant twist of fate, Schurman learned he would be following in the footsteps of Mark Broten ‘88, one of his role models and a former teacher at his hometown high school in Excelsior, Minn.

“Right after I applied to the education program, I found out my all-time favorite teacher attended WSU,” said Schurman. “I’m proud to graduate from the school that he attended.”

Schurman, who served a year as Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee on Student Senate, said his favorite part of the WSU experience was the community, the people and relationships.

“I liked being a part of a community that cared for its members,” Schurman said. “The people at WSU are genuine, and I formed many great relationships that I’ll value forever.”

Schurman also learned many life lessons during his time at Winona State, including that hard work pays off.

“The difference in academic expectations between high school and college is distinct,” said Schurman. “(In college) you always have to work hard. If you want to get an ‘A,’ you really have to earn it.”

The stellar faculty at WSU encouraged Schurman to explore new things and pushed him to improve himself.

“My classes gave me the necessary skills to be successful,” Schurman said. “I’m now excited and prepared for the future.”

Schurman hopes to teach language arts at the high school level after graduation, and believes he and his fellow WSU alumni will be well-served by this piece of advice: